The irony here is that I know foodservice manufacturers are trying to figure out how to increase sales…while news of operators facing tight margins and price hikes keep surfacing. Manfacturers have a tremendous opportunity here to create loyalty and add new accounts!

IFMA has stated in their reports, same with Technomic, that independent operators are seeking some kind of relief or value added partnership from their food suppliers. Well, before you start losing more revenue to local suppliers (because local means less shipping costs) you may want to consider reaching out to your current customers and potential new ones with a creative and attractive rebate program.

Consider that we know:

Operators prefer cash rebates to point systems

Operators NEED, not want, to cut costs

They are asking for help from you, the manufacturer

Operators want to build relationships with you

So, we have established a gap between what operators need and what manufacturers are offering. Here are some creative ways to increase your sales and extend your reach…

Add a social component to your rebate campaign

Go all electronic…no printing – to save costs

Improve your User Experience (UX)…making life easier for operators. Offer electronic rebate submissions (Look at the featured prmos on the front page of this website)

Add a video element to the rebate program. Video is HOT and you can relay a lot of information that is not possible via print.

Use QR codes or other mobile solutions to drive traffic

Add a landing page with a contest element to collect more operator leads

I have seen tremendous results from doing some of the things above. Two major brands recently saw sales increases of over 20% vs. the prior year. I am confident that if executed properly, you can achieve results like this too.

You cannot count on BSR’s and DSR’s to educate operators about your rebate programs…they have a lot on their plate…you need to drive it. Work with a partner who can automate your rebates and drive traffic, leads, reach and new customers by:

Blogging on your behalf

Providing social marketing for your brand/campaign

Performing content marketing on your behalf

Using multi-media messaging options

To learn more, drop me a line and we can perform a 5 minute over-the-phone review of options available to you: john@kallerup.net